BookList Weeding Tips!

March 2012

Weeding Tips: The Basics.

Vnuk, Rebecca (author).

FEATURE. First published February 15, 2012 (Booklist Online).

Weeding. The very word often strikes terror in a librarians heart. I find no one is ambivalent
about weedingpeople either love it or loathe it. I fall into the love-it camp. I once imagined my
perfect career would be traveling from library to library across the nation, weeding collections.
However, most librarians dread the task. It can be hard to part with books that were carefully
selected and paid for with tax dollars. Some librarians feel that it is impossible to imagine that a
particular book no longer has any worth.
Lets start at the beginning: Why is it important that libraries weed?

Shelf Space
In most libraries, the shelves should ideally be 75 to 85 percent full. This makes the items
much easier to browse, makes it easier to shelve, and, in general, makes the collection
look better.

Collection Development
How better to get a good handle on what you already own and what areas you need to
beef up than to weed on a regular basis? It can be invaluable to actually view and touch
every book in your collection.

Purge Outdated Materials

Particularly in nonfiction and in reference, there is a real need to have timely information
on your shelves. Remember that your library is not a museumthere is simply not
enough space (nor is it our mission) to be a warehouse of unused books. Its also very
important to remember that reference material has an expiration date!
Ideally, weeding is an ongoing process. Weeding throughout the year reduces the number of
materials withdrawn at one time and keeps your community happybecause the shelves look
fresh, and patrons will not see a large number of books leaving the building at one given time. If
you havent made an effort to weed continually, or even if you have, oftentimes a weeding
project is needed. Specifically, you know you need a deep weed when shelf space becomes
impossible to navigate or patrons complain about the condition of materials or a lack of current
information.
Basic How-To
Have a solid collection-development policy in place. This not only gives you backup,
highlighting your reasons and your time line, but it gives your staff instruction. The CREW
Method, created by Belinda Boon and Joseph P. Segal, offers six classic general guidelines under
the acronym MUSTIE (for more information, see https://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/crew/
index.html.):

M= misleading: factually inaccurate

U= ugly: beyond mending or rebinding
S= superseded by a new edition or by a much better book on the subject
T= trivial: of no discernible literary or scientific merit

BookList Weeding Tips!

March 2012

I= irrelevant to the needs and interests of the librarys community

E= elsewhere: the material is easily obtainable from another library

Dont forget that the reports available from your cataloging system are invaluable for weeding.
You can sort them by all kinds of criteria, including last checkout date, age of item, number of
checkouts. And it may sound trite, but dont be afraid to weed on looks alone. Ive been in too
many libraries where a good one-third of the collection could be replaced just based on rips,
smells, and stains alone. Who wants to check out a nasty book?
What if you just arent sure about a particular title? Ask yourself the following questions: Would
I be embarrassed if the library didnt own it? If I put this on display, would it go out? Does the
book fit the needs of my community? Does it have local interest? Is the author still living and
writing?
Theres an excuse for everything, and here are some rebuttals to the things that may be keeping
you from weeding:

Thats taxpayer money! Its more of a waste of taxpayer dollars to keep outdated or nasty
books on the shelf. Time is money, tooyour patrons shouldnt have to waste their time
searching through your outdated collections.

But I bought that book myself; I have a personal connection to it! Think of your personal
responsibility to the collection as a whole.

Books are valuable! There is no value in dangerously outdated material or soiled items.

Im afraid it will look bad to have empty shelves. Keep your community informed as to
whats happening when you weed, and remember that replacement is a key component of
weeding as well.

This is someones favorite book! And wed be happy to ILL it for them.
Lastly, what about public perception? Its important to keep library staff informed so they can
alleviate any patron anxieties. If staff is not on board with weeding, your public will never be.
Use positives instead of negativesnever complain to patrons about what bad materials you had.
Always explain that you are making room for new materials, making the shelves easier to
navigate, and replacing outdated information with the latest current information. Weeding isnt
always about ridding the shelvessometimes its about getting fresh new copies of the exact
same titles.
In the next issue of Corner Shelf, well take a look at weeding specific sections of your library.